Gunter Thielen, Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann AG, was honored as the “Media Person of the Year 2006” at the International Advertising Festival in Cannes. The Executive Chairman of the Festival Terry Savage presented the award to Thielen today, Tuesday, at an evening ceremony attended by more than 2,000 leading personages in the media industry, in marketing and advertising, and numerous journalists.
In the explanatory statement, Thielen was commended for having shown very impressively at the helm of Bertelsmann how business success can go hand in hand with social responsibility. By reviving the media company’s decentralised corporate culture of partnership, Thielen has unleashed enormous creative potential and set the scene for innovation and growth.
Bertelsmann AG’s Chairman and CEO Gunter Thielen said: “I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the nearly 90,000 creative minds at Bertelsmann – each one of them is part of our success story. More than twenty-five years at Bertelsmann have taught me a great deal: I learned that our people make a difference. They are the basis for our success. “
The annual “Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival” is the world’s biggest and best-known event for marketing and advertising professionals. The gold, silver and bronze “lions” awarded at the festival are often referred to as the “Oscars of advertising.” Since 1999, a “Media Person of the Year” has also been honored at the festival. Past laureates include Arnaud Lagardère, Chairman and CEO of France’s Lagardère media group, and Sumner Redstone, Chairman of the Board of Viacom and CBS Corporation. | 
